Aerial camera housing for high wing aircraft

ABSTRACT

An aerial camera housing for mounting on the wing-strut of a high-wing aircraft has an aerodynamically shaped outer casing having one end open and is attached to an inner and outer bracket to permit mounting to the wing-strut. The outer bracket is attached to the housing by an adjustable suspension assembly for the purpose of providing proper camera alignment with the axis of the plane&#39;&#39;s flight. The camera is held in a similarly shaped inner casing having an outer diameter slightly less than the inner diameter of the outer casing so as to permit the inner casing to be slidably inserted into the outer casing to form the assembled aerial camera housing.

United States Patent Liston [54] AERIAL CAMERA HOUSING FOR HIGH WINGAIRCRAFT [72] Inventor: Balmer Scott Liston, Painesville,

' Ohio [73] Assignee: Diamond Shamrock Corporation, Cleveland, Ohio [22]Filed: March 3, 1971 21 Appl. N61; 120,611

521 05.01 ..244/ll8 51 Int. Cl. ..B64d 11/00 58 Field ofSearch..-..244/11s;95/12.5

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,626,787 5/1927 Corlett..95/12.5 3,485,151 12/1969 Taylor. ..95/12.5

[ 1' Sept. 5, 1972 Primary ExaminerTrygve M. Blix Att0meyRoy Davis,William A. Skinner and Theodore J. Dettling [57] ABSTRACT An aerialcamera housing for mounting on the wingstrut of a high-wing aircraft hasan aerodynamically shaped outer casing having one end open and isattached to an inner and outer bracket to permit mounting to thewing-strut. The outer bracket is attached to the housing by anadjustable suspension assembly for the purpose of providing propercamera alignment with the axis of the planes flight. The camera is heldin a similarly shaped inner casing having an outer diameter slightlyless than the inner diameter of the outer casing so as to permit theinner casing to be slidably inserted into the outer casing to form theassembled aerial camera housing.

7 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures rum-mm 3.689.012

. INVENTOR BALMER SCOTT LISTON BY m 2 w ATTORNEY AERIAL CAMERA HOUSINGFOR HIGH WING AIRCRAFT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention isdirected to an aerial camera housing adapted to be used with anyhigh-wing aircraft having a wing-strut. More particularly it is directedto a camera housing that can be quickly mounted and dismounted on suchaircraft with a minimum of effort and time without requiring anystructural modification of the aircraft.

The art and science of aerial photography for purposes of reconnaissanceand geographical surveys is an old and well-known art. Normally, aerialcameras that have been used have been mounted in the body of theairplane necessitating structural modifications of the plane toaccommodate the camera and to properly position it for the fields ofview that are to be photographed. Further it is usually necessary toinsulate fuselage-mounted cameras from the vibrations inherent inaircraft, especially those having the engine built into the aircraftfuselage such as the high-wing, light-weight monoplane that comprise themajority of privately owned aircraft.

While it would be highly desirable to be able to utilize such high-winglight aircraft for aerial photography purposes because of their lowflight speed and maneuverability and further considering their readyavailability, ubiquitousness, and low cost, it is not presently possibleto do so, insofar as applicant knows, without permanently modifying theaircraft to accommodate an aerial camera. Such permanent modification,is undesirable or even impractical for at least the following reasons.It increases aircraft cost. It adds weight and makes more complexaircraft design and manufacture. When mounted in the fuselage, it canimpinge on available passenger or cargo space and further require theprovision of means to insulate the camera from motor-propellervibrations. Further the present necessity for aircraft modificationand/or rebuilding severely reduces the number of high-wing lightaircraft available for aerial photography purposes, and hence it is notnormally possible to rent a plane adapted for aerial photography.

Bearing in mind this present state of the art and the deficienciesthereof, it is a principal objective of this invention to provide asimple camera housing that can be quickly and easily mounted on aircraftwithout the necessity of structurally modifying or re-building theaircraft.

More particularly it is an object of this invention to provide aportable camera housing that can be readily mounted on the wing-strut ofany high-wing airplane and is easily adjusted so as to align the cameracarried in the housing in the desired picture image plane as compared tothe direction of aircraft flight, thus allowing its universal use on anysuch aircraft that may be available.

It is a further object to provide a camera housing having thesecharacteristics that is aerodynamically neutral and light in weight sothat when being carried on light aircraft in flight it contributesnegligible stress to the wing structure but yet possesses sufficientrigidity and durability to withstand the stresses encountered withoutdistortion or destruction and provide protection from the elements forthe camera carried in the housing.

cess to the camera when the housing is mounted on the aircraft.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION These and other objects and advantages, whichwill be apparent from the following description, are provided by anaerial camera housing that includes in its simplest embodiment anelongated outer casing having a cross-section perpendicular to itslength that has a periphery that is essentially convex and exhibitsneutral aerodynamic characteristics such as a circle or oval. One end ofthe casing is capped with an integral convex cover having lowaerodynamic friction characteristic such as a semi-sphere while theopposite end is open. An optical-grade sight glass is centrallypositioned on the bottom side of the casing.

The outer casing is mounted to the wing-strut of a high-wing airplane byinner and outer suspension assemblies that are centrally attached toeach side of the casing and have concave brackets carrying holdingstraps for embracing the strut. The outer suspension assembly isadjustable so as to permit parallel axial alignment of the camerahousing with the axis of the planes flight.

Slidably mounted inside the outer casing is a contiguous elongated innercasing having the same general peripheral configuration except for acut-out on its top side to provide camera access and an aperture on itsbottom side in axial alignment with the outer-casing sight glass. Theinner casing is capped at one end with a convex cover having lowaerodynamic friction characteristic such as a hemisphere or cone and hasan inner cross brace to support the camera in axial alignment with theaperture.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a front elevational view ofa camera housing of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view partly cut away and in cross-sectionof the camera housing of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a detailed view of the adjustable suspension assembly shown inFIG. 1 that is used to mount the camera housing to the wing-strut.

FIG. 4 is a detailed view of the sight glass and frame assembly of thecamera housing.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT glass 5 that is retained by anouter frame 6 and screws 7 The outer casing l is carried by a thin metalcradle 8 to which is attached an inner wing-strut bracket 9 and an outerwing-strut bracket 10 through an inner suspension assembly 11 and anadjustable outer suspension assembly 12 shown in detail in FIG. 3, thatconsists of an inner suspension strut 13 and an outer suspension strut 11-. The inner suspension strut 13 has vertically extending slots 15through which bolts 16 extend into a horizontal slot 17 formed in aplate 18 attached to the cradle 3, thus permitting adjustment of theouter bracket 10 in both a horizontal and a vertical direction inrelationship to the outer casing 1. When even more latitude in adjustingthe camera housing is desired, the inner suspension assembly 11 can havea structure similar to the outer suspension assembly 12 illustrated inFIG. 3. The inner bracket 9 and the outer bracket 10 are mounted to awing-strut 20 of a highwing monoplane by holding straps 21 passingthrough slots 22 of the brackets 9 and 10.

Slidably inserted into the outer casing 1 and contiguous therewith is aninner cylindrical casing having an integral semi-spherical cap 31. Boththe inner casing 31) and the cap 31 are made with a fiberglassreinforcedpolyester. The exterior diameter of the cap 31 at its junction with theinner casing 31) is greater than the exterior diameter of the innercasing 30 so as to form an annular recess 32. The exterior diameter ofthe cap 31 equals the exterior diameter of the outer casing 1 so thatwhen the inner casing 30 is slid completely into the outer casing 1 aflush junction is formed between them. To prevent rotation of the innercasing 30, a lug 33 appended to the cap 31 is provided that fits tightlyinto an indent 341 formed in the open end 2 of the outer casing 1'. Theinner casing 30 and the outer casing l are held together in the closedassembled position by catch latch 35 and catch 36. Further secondaryholding means are provided by a holding hook 37 centrally attached tothe cap 31 and a holding pin 38 centrally attached to the cap 3. When inthe closed assembled position an elastic band (not shown) is stretchedbetween hook 37 and pin 38 to prevent accidental separation of innercasing 30 and outer casing 1, if the latching means 35, 36 fails.

An aperture 43 is provided on the bottom side of the inner casing 30 sopositioned that it is in axial alignment with the sight glass assembly19 of the outer casing 1 when the two are in the assembledconfiguration. Part of the top side of the inner casing 31) is cut awayto provide a camera-access opening 41) for inserting the camera (notshown) into the inner casing 30. The camera is held by integraltransverse braces 41 and 42 positioned within the inner casing 31) sothat the lens of the camera faces and is in axial alignment with theaperture 413.

While the preceding description of a representative embodiment of theaerial housing of this invention has been described with reference toinner and outer casings made with a fiberglass-reinforced polyester, itis manifest that an equally satisfactory aerial housing could be madefrom other lightweight, rigid plastic materials such as a high-modulusthermoplastic or other thermosets preferably reinforced with a fibrousmaterial or from a lightweight metal such as aluminum or magnesium.

While the aerial housing, which has been illustrated, utilized a cradleto carry and lend additional rigidity to the outer casing 1, it could beeliminated, if desired, by increasing the thickness of the outer casing1 and mounting the support assemblies 11 and 12 directly thereto as bywelding or brazing if metal or by adhesive bonding or mechanicalfastening.

When it is desired to use the aerial camera housing of this invention ona high-wing monoplane brackets 9 and 10 are secured to the wing-strut 20by the holding straps 21. The bolts 16 are loosened and the camerahousing vertically and horizontally adjusted to align the longitudinalaxis of the camera housing parallel with the axis of the airplanes modeof flight. The bolts 16 are then retightened to hold the camera housingin this position.

The camera housing is mounted on the aircraft so that the cap 31 facesin the direction of flight. During flight, the air pressure generated onthe cap 31 forces and holds the annular recess 32 tightly against themating edge of the outer casing 1 thereby minimizing the chance of airor rain entering the interior of the camera housing and damaging thecamera. While this configuration is normally sufficiently air-andwater-tight to prevent stray inclusions of water and air, a gasket canbe used, if desired, in the recess 32 to ensure a more perfect sealbetween the cap 31 and the outer casing 1.

Once the camera housing has been mounted on the aircraft, latching means35, 36 is disengaged and the inner casing 311 slid out of outercasing 1. The camera (not shown), which can be, for example, a 35millimeter or millimeter roll-film camera having self-contained powermeans for advancing the film and cocking the shutter, is then placed onthe camera mounting braces 41 and 42 so that the lens of the camera isfacing and in axial alignment with the aperture 43 of the inner casing30 and is secured to the braces 41 and 42 by one or more elastic straps(not shown). The inner casing 30 is slid into the outer casing 1 in sucha manner that the antirotation lug 33 is inserted into the indent 34 andthe snap-latch 35, 36 closed. To ensure against failure of thesnap-latch 35, 36 an elastic strap (not shown) can be stretched betweenthe hook 37 and the pin 38 to prevent any accidental disassembly of theinner casing 30 from the outer casing 11, especially during aircrafttake-off or landing when little air pressure is exerted against the cap31.

In flight the camera shutter is activated by a control cable (not shown)that is attached to the camera and passes through the camera housingdown the wing strut to the photographers position in the plane.

From the above description it can be seen, that the camera housing ofthis invention can be quickly and easily mounted on any high-wingmonoplane irrespective of the angle of its wing strut without the needfor aircraft modification or rebuilding. As a consequence, it can beuniversally used on high-wing aircraft wherever available, thus allowingthe aerial photographer to rent an airplane in the vicinity of theterrestrial area that is to photographed.

Further because of the unique structural feature of an inner casing andan outer casing employed in the camera housing of this invention, thecamera can be readily inserted into or removed from the camera housingwithout the necessity of first dismounting the camera housing from theairplane. Further this structural configuration confers maximum rigidityand strength to the camera housing with a minimum of weight and furtherensures maximum protection to the enclosed camera from air and waterdamage.

While a representative embodiment of the invention has been described,in the light of these teachings, other modifications and variations ofthis invention as defined by the following claims will be readilyapparent and are meant to be covered thereby:

I claim:

1. An aerial housing for enclosing a camera that can be mounted on awing strut of a high-wing monoplane which comprises:

an elongated outer casing having a cross-section perpendicular to itslength that has a periphery that is essentially ellipsoidal, an openingat one end, and an integral convex cap enclosing the other end;

a sight glass assembly integrally attached to the bot tom side of theouter casing;

an elongated inner casing having essentially the same peripheral shapeas the outer casing but being sufficiently less in circumference as toallow the inner casing to be slidably inserted into the open end of theouter casing to give an assembled housing in which a major part of theexterior face of the inner casing is contiguous with the interior faceof th outer casing; convex cap integrally attached to an end of theinner casing having essentially the same exterior shape andcircumference at its junction with the inner casing as the open end ofthe outer casing thereby forming a recess into which the open end of theouter casing fits to give a flush exterior junction in the assembledhousing; the inner casing further having an aperture on its bottom sidein axial alignment with the sight glass as sembly when the inner casingis inserted into the outer casing to give the assembled housing, and anopening in its top side to permit placement of the camera therein;

means for holding the camera in the inner casing in a position such thatits lens is facing and in axial alignment with the aperture, and itspicture image plane is essentially parallel with the longitudinal axisof the assembled housing;

means for holding the inner casing and the outer casing together in theassembled housing configuratlon;

means for adjustably mounting the outer casing to the wing strut of themonoplane to allow the longitudinal axis of the assembled housing to bealigned parallel with the axis of flight of the monoplane.

2. The aerial camera housing of claim 1 further characterized in thatthe outer casing and inner casing have a cross section that is circularand further comprises means to prevent rotation of the inner casingwithin the outer casing.

3. The aerial camera housing of claim 1 further characterized in thatthe outer casing and inner casing have a cross section that is oval.

4. The aerial camera housing of claim 1 in which the means for holdingthe camera comprises an integral transverse brace bridging the innercasing.

5. The aerial camera housing of claim 1 in which the means for holdingthe inner casing and the outer casing together comprises a snap latchand a snap catch.

6. The aerial camera housing of claim 1 in which the means for mountingthe outer casing to the wing strut comprises:

an inner bracket and an outer bracket capable of carrying holding strapsfor embracing the wing strut;

an inner suspension assembly joining the inner bracket to the inner sideof the outer casing; and,

an adjustable outer suspension assembly joining the outer bracket to theouter side of the outer casing and adapted to move the outer bracket inboth a horizontal and vertical direction in relationship to the outercasing.

7. The aerial camera housing of claim 6 in which the adjustable outersuspension assembly comprises:

a plate having a horizontal slot attached to the outer casing;

an inner strut attached to the inner side of the bracket, having avertical slot through which a bolt extends into the horizontal slot ofthe plate to adjustably attach the inner strut to the plate;

an outer strut having one end attached to the outer side of the bracketand the other end attached to an area of the inner strut displaced fromits point of attachment to the bracket.

1. An aerial housing for enclosing a camera that can be mounted on awing strut of a high-wing monoplane which comprises: an elongated outercasing having a cross-section perpendicular to its length that has aperiphery that is essentially ellipsoidal, an opening at one end, and anintegral convex cap enclosing the other end; a sight glass assemblyintegrally attached to the bottom side of the outer casing; an elongatedinner casing having essentially the same peripheral shape as the outercasing but being sufficiently less in circumference as to allow theinner casing to be slidably inserted into the open end of the outercasing to give an assembled housing in which a major part of theexterior face of the inner casing is contiguous with the interior faceof the outer casing; a convex cap integrally attached to an end of theinner casing having essentially the same exterior shape andcircumference at its junction with the inner casing as the open end ofthe outer casing thereby forming a recess into which the open end of theouter casing fits to give a flush exterior junction in the assembledhousing; the inner casing further having an aperture on its bottom sidein axial alignment with the sight glass assembly when the inner casingis inserted into the outer casing to give the assembled housing, and anopening in its top side to permit placement of the camera therein; meansfor holding the camera in the inner casing in a position such that itslens is facing and in axial alignment with the aperture, and its pictureimage plane is essentially parallel with the Longitudinal axis of theassembled housing; means for holding the inner casing and the outercasing together in the assembled housing configuration; means foradjustably mounting the outer casing to the wing strut of the monoplaneto allow the longitudinal axis of the assembled housing to be alignedparallel with the axis of flight of the monoplane.
 2. The aerial camerahousing of claim 1 further characterized in that the outer casing andinner casing have a cross section that is circular and further comprisesmeans to prevent rotation of the inner casing within the outer casing.3. The aerial camera housing of claim 1 further characterized in thatthe outer casing and inner casing have a cross section that is oval. 4.The aerial camera housing of claim 1 in which the means for holding thecamera comprises an integral transverse brace bridging the inner casing.5. The aerial camera housing of claim 1 in which the means for holdingthe inner casing and the outer casing together comprises a snap latchand a snap catch.
 6. The aerial camera housing of claim 1 in which themeans for mounting the outer casing to the wing strut comprises: aninner bracket and an outer bracket capable of carrying holding strapsfor embracing the wing strut; an inner suspension assembly joining theinner bracket to the inner side of the outer casing; and, an adjustableouter suspension assembly joining the outer bracket to the outer side ofthe outer casing and adapted to move the outer bracket in both ahorizontal and vertical direction in relationship to the outer casing.7. The aerial camera housing of claim 6 in which the adjustable outersuspension assembly comprises: a plate having a horizontal slot attachedto the outer casing; an inner strut attached to the inner side of thebracket, having a vertical slot through which a bolt extends into thehorizontal slot of the plate to adjustably attach the inner strut to theplate; an outer strut having one end attached to the outer side of thebracket and the other end attached to an area of the inner strutdisplaced from its point of attachment to the bracket.